


Misunderstandings

by BlurMeTheBlurUp



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Puns, Bickering, Lots of Cursing, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Texting, The Surface, dating sites, edgeberry, honeymustard - Freeform, lots of dogs, takes place in the Underswap universe, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:33:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlurMeTheBlurUp/pseuds/BlurMeTheBlurUp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Papyrus decides to use a dating site but while looking through it, he sees Sans. His brother was never supposed to use this and there he was! So he decides to give him a lesson. Nothing goes as expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've never even used any dating sites so I probably messed up...Just accept this trash as it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What am I doing… I promised myself that I wouldn't start a multi-chaptered story… Eh, kinda late now, how can I resist. Mistakes were made.

 

He was staring at the screen of his PC, hands on keyboard and mouse, wondering if what he was planning was right. He knew how dangerous the Internet was, he really did. But he seriously needed to go out and take his mind off his problems for once, and if he had the luck – to even build a stable relationship with someone. He decided that maybe it was worth a try. A dating site it is then.

Then again, his mind drifted off to what happened months ago. It was some time after the monsters were finally freed and Papyrus and Sans finally moved in their new house. It was weird at first, but they somehow got used to it. But then the weirder things started happening. Sans had never shown such a big interest in romantic relationships before that day. It probably had to do something with the access to more information since they moved out on the surface. And so, the little Blueberry, as he liked to call him, decided to try out one of those things the humans called 'dating sites'. Papyrus figured that Sans would eventually want a different kind of affection, other than his brotherly love. Blue has been saying that he wants to bathe in a shower of kisses every morningeven back then when they were trapped underground. So it wasn't a big surprise.

When Sans finally found himself a matching partner, he was really happy. And so was Papyrus. After all, he wished the best for his little bro. But then things went wrong. It was good that he was sometimes overprotective. Yeah, he actually went after his bro, watching him from far away just to make sure nothing bad happened. He had no idea what Blueberry was thinking, going out with that tall, edgy, mean-looking skeleton. What he knew was that that monster meant no good. How could Sans be so naive? If Papyrus wasn't there to step in, who knows what could've happened, he might have ended up getting raped! After they got home, he lectured his brother about trusting people too easily and Sans promised him to stay safe on the Internet.

But things were different for Papyrus. He was neither naive, nor weak. He could defend himself. He had seen and lived through so much shit in his life and could deal with unwanted situations. He wouldn't let someone take advantage of his usual kind and calm self.

Basically nothing could go wrong. Not to jinx it but he could take care of himself. So he made an account. After filling in some information about himself, he moved forward and was shown several monsters that had similar interests and such. There weren't many, but that was to be expected. As a lazy skeleton, he didn't have much to do in his free time, save for sleeping, he didn't have a hobby. While scrolling down, he dug into his hoodie pocket to grab a box of cigarettes, getting one out to smoke. Stupid old habits. Not many on the shown list really got his attention. That was until he saw something from the corner of his eye socket. He scrolled up and was thankful that his cigarette was still not lit, as it was dropped down on the floor along with his jaw.

What. The. Fuck.

Did his bro really break the promise he made?

Or was this not him? Sure, their faces were almost the same, if the probably fake scar didn't count. The male on the photo looked just as small as Sans, too. But the dressing style was quite...dark. Definitely not what Sans would wear. The names matched though. But then again, the brothers were growing kind of distant since that incident happened. Maybe because Papyrus didn't want to listen to Blue since he was really pissed off then, and oh did he regret it...But it was too late for that now. And who knows what Blueberry's been doing in his free time. Maybe he was trying to be cool. Well, he was already cool, but you know, the kind of cool that nobody knows why it's cool. It simply is.

What was he supposed to do now? He could go to Sans' room and ask him about it, but he really didn't want to fight with his dear bro. And neither could he just leave it like that. So...huh, what if he taught him a lesson? He could probably fake kidnapping. That would be really cruel of course, but what if he didn't find out about this sooner? What if someday he came back to an empty house, with no sound coming from the kitchen, and no taco smell going around the whole place. That would be the end of him. At many points of his life, the only thing that made him stick to life was his brother. He would scold him afterwards. That's it then. He didn't even bother looking more through the other's account, his anger blinding him as he grabbed his phone, the one Blue didn't know he owned,and entered the number that was left in the user's contact page, man, he still hadn't learned his new number, and started texting:

* hey.

To his surprise, the one on the other side answered immediately, as if expecting him. And man, it was almost 1AM now.

*** heya, 'sup. who r u, buddy?**

Ugh, that was so not like his baby bro. But he decided not to think about it.

* saw ya on this dating site. wanted to know if ya wanna hang out some time.

*** oh, that. sure, what time?**

There it was. How could he trust someone so easily.

* how does saturday evening sound?

***sounds good to me. any preferences?**

What?

* just you being there is enough. let's meet somewhere near the eastern entrance of Ebott Park. Maybe 8 o'clock?

***ok.**

 

Easy. Way too easy, thought Papyrus.

* * *

Saturday finally came. He didn't notice any change in Sans' behaviour. It was still lunch time and Blue put the tacos in front of him.

“ENJOY THEM WHILE THEY ARE STILL WARM, BROTHER!”

“heh, sure bro, thanks.”

And then there was a long silence, until the taller one spoke.

“by the way, just wondering, did ya have any plans for today? like, maybe the evening?” He wondered what his bro would tell him. And he got what he expected.

“AH, ACTUALLY, YES! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU, ALPHYS CALLED ME FOR A SLEEPOVER, UNDYNE'S GONNA BE THERE TOO, I GUESS IT'S GOING TO BE AN ANIME MARATHON NIGHT.”

Classic. He was so easy to see through.

“i see...” It really hurt. His own brother, lying.

“WHAT IS IT, PAPY? DID YOU WANT TO COME TOO? USUALLY YOU SLEEP THROUGH THE WHOLE THING SO I--”

“no, no sans, don't worry about it. i'd probably be _tired to the bone_ by then.” Blue just frowned at the pun, he knew there was no use in complaining because it'd make it even worse. Papyrus quickly finished his food and put the dishes in the sink. Then he went to the couch and threw himself on it, not wanting to hear any more. He turned the TV on for background noise as he heard the other speak.

“HOW WOULD YOU BE TIRED WHEN ALL YOU PLAN ON DOING IS SLEEP?”

“eh, ya know me bro.”

Then there was a sigh followed by water splashing, which prompted that Sans was cleaning up.

* * *

Oh no, when did he fall asleep? Stars, what if he was late? He glanced at the clock on the wall. 7:10PM. He sighed in relief.

“hey bro, you still here?” he raised his voice as much as he could.

“WOW, YOU ACTUALLY DECIDED TO WAKE UP, PAPY!” Sans shouted back.

“heh, yeah.” Maybe he should leave? Maybe Sans wasn't expecting him to wake up and thought that he could sneak through him and go out. “i'm gonna go out, sans. when are you going to alphys'?”

“GOING OUT? ON A WALK WITHOUT ME FORCING YOU TO? THAT'S NOT LIKE YOU, AND WHY SO LATE? AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE A LITTLE AFTER YOU. IT'S STILL TOO EARLY.”

Yeah, right.

“well, i'm going out then. have fun and don't stay up till too late.” Papyrus said, ignoring most of Sans' other questions.

“THANKS! AND BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL ASLEEP SOMEWHERE OUT. MAKE SURE YOU GET BACK AND EAT, TOO. AND LOCK THE DOOR!”

“yeah, okay mom.” And with that, he left. He had no idea what he was going to do for the next, say 40 minutes. So he just headed to the place they were supposed to meet and hid somewhere in the backstreets. And waited patiently, smoking his last cigarette, watching carefully for the shorter skeleton.

“finally.” he muttered when the other showed up. It's not like he was late, he was actually early by some minutes. He just grew frustrated, waiting and thinking about stuff. Papyrus looked around, making sure that there was no one near. After all, he might know that he's faking the kidnapping but the others don't. Before the other could manage to get out on the main street, the tall skeleton quickly pulled Sans back in a corner, wrapping his hands tightly around him, gathering Blue's hands in his bigger left one, putting his right hand over Sans' mouth so that he wouldn't be able to scream for help, muffling any sound that came. The smaller figure started trashing around, trying to free itself, but Papyrus held him firmly.

“stop resisting and keep silent.”

Since when was Sans so strong though? It felt like he knew exactly when to pull away. Didn't matter, everything was going just as planned – that is, until the other growled before biting him. Hard.

“AGH! what the hell sans!?” He didn't really mean to yell but he did.

" **'what the hell sans'? 'what the hell SANS'? no, what the hell YOU!** ” The skeleton in front of him fixed his jacket which had slightly slipped down his shoulders while he was trying to free himself form Papyrus' grip.

“ **why the fuck did — papyrus?** ” Sans gasped and widened his eyes as he turned around to see his ambusher.

“s-sans..?” He was not that sure anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **red**  
>  **FELL**  
>  stretch  
> BLUEBERRY  
> -  
> The next chapter is going to be longer but just so you know, I don't have any idea what to do after like, chapter 4, so I might take requests and if I like something, I'll try to include it. If you would like to suggest something, leave a comment or send me an ask on my [tumblr!](http://blur-draws.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet nobody knows who Blue tried dating. Wait, everyone does? Oh...

Sans was walking down the already dark streets, not really paying attention to his surroundings, his mind preoccupied with different thoughts about the upcoming night. He was starting to regret just accepting an unknown person's request for hanging out. That monster seemed weird. They didn't introduce themselves and didn't even ask him anything. And what was that 'just you being there is enough'? He thought that usually the people he would go out with would expect to see him...in certain ways. But here he was with his casual clothes – a collar which he never took off, a black jacket over his red sweater and — his train of thoughts was crashed by someone suddenly pulling him back, putting a hand over his mouth and grabbing his hands. He couldn't see the one who attacked him but he assumed he's pretty tall after his back was pressed against the other. He tried to keep calm, he knew that panic would get him to nowhere, probably just worsen the situation. He started pulling away at moments which seemed right but nothing helped.

"stop resisting and shut up." The ambusher muttered quietly. That voice was strangely familiar but he couldn't really figure out who it belonged to. He didn't know many monsters and humans up on the surface.

Sans' first thought was to listen and give up, but then an idea hit him. Why listen to the other one when he can bite them very hard? People might be staring at his sharp teeth every time he goes out, but having them wasn't really that bad. He growled and sunk his teeth into the other's...phalanges? Was he a skeleton too? What the…

"AGH! what the hell sans!?" He heard them yell. How did they know his name? Trying to calm his breathing down, he adjusted his jacket while yelling back.

" **'what the hell sans'? 'what the hell SANS'? no, what the hell YOU! why the fuck did — papyrus!?** " He gasped as he turned around and saw a tall skeleton looming over him with the almost same appearance as his boss.

"s-sans..?" Papyrus stuttered hesitantly. No. That wasn't Papyrus. Not his Papyrus at least. Sans gulped as he took a step back. "wait! i uh...you...well..." Papyrus tried to form a sentence but he was too confused to do it.

" **yeah, me, sans. sans the skeleton. though you didn't seem to be expecting this sans.** "

"huh? what do you..." the taller was about to ask what he meant but took his time to observe the other. He noticed the sharper teeth with a golden one on the upper row, the crack on his skull looking more real than the one on the picture and the expression of someone who's seen a lot of shit in his lifetime. _Definitely_ not _his_ Sans. He felt so stupid. "oh...you are not my sans..."

" **tch, you better explain yourself, punk. we might be in public but that wouldn't stop me from kicking your ass.** "

"no, wait, you got me wrong, i have no _bone_ to pick with ya, buddy. i just thought that you were my little bro and shit happened."

" **woah, wait, why would you do this to your _own brother_?** " Sans might have been used to abuse and all that stuff but he thought that this universe was nicer than his. Good thing that he had changed because if he was his old self, he would've gotten a panic attack. But he had learnt how to control his emotions better and now he would usually only sweat if things got a little bit too rough.

"look, it's not what you think, i think i have a pretty good reason to do this."

" **huh, and what would that be?** " the shorter skeleton folded his arms. For a moment, Sans himself wasn't sure why he cared, but then again, this could've happened to this universe's Sans so he felt like he had to make sure to avoid anything bad happening to him. After not receiving an answer, he looked at the other's face again and noticed him staring in a certain way. He was hesitating if he should tell him the truth. He knew that look, his own brother had it. " **ya know, ya kinda owe me, so we better sit down and you can start spilling what you had in mind.** "

Papyrus wanted to protest but he sighed in defeat and walked over to the nearest bench, Sans following him and they both sat down.

"ugh, where do I start. you see, my bro has used this dating site thing before and i really regret letting him. seems like not everyone here is as kind as i expected. i wanted to make sure that everything was going fine, so i followed him and decided to stay a little and then i would've left them alone. but-"

" **waaait, you _stalked_ your little brother? that's creepy man.** "

" _but_ ," Papyrus tried to ignore the other because yes, yes, he knew that. "that weirdo tried to uh... _touch_ my bro on their first date, literally moments after they met. i don't think that he was supposed to do that. and for the record, my brother is completely innocent, i don't want some random freak to corrupt him. so i had to step in."

" **hm, you know, you can't keep him pure forever. i'm not saying that what you did was wrong but c'mon, if he's your little bro, that means he's as old as mine is. and that is not a little. heh, how did ya even manage that...whatever, i'm not going to be teaching ya how to live your life. so, what does this have to do with the thing you did a few minutes ago?** "

"i know that but...if you see his smile, you'd do the same. and, well, he had promised me that he'd never use this site again and when i saw your picture i thought it was him. i got really mad and decided to give him a lesson."

" **by fake-kidnapping him? that's pretty cruel, don't ya think?** "

"yes, yes, i know...but what if it wasn't me and someone really hurt him...or even worse? he's my world, one of the little things that kept me going when the resets still - oh wait, d-do you..." Papyrus trailed off, knowing that he fucked up right at that moment.

" **y-yeah, continue.** " Sans said after a brief pause, looking away.

"oh. uh, where was i...oh yeah. i can't afford to lose him. though in the end, i'm happy that it wasn't him who came here this evening. i didn't really think much about it, but i just realized that he would've been really upset if i did what i did to you to him. by the way, i'm really sorry about that. heh, kinda late but..." Papyrus smiled awkwardly.

" **nah, i'm used to stuff like that.** " Sans said casually, receiving a weird stare from the other. " **actually, my bro had a problem with a dating site too.** "

"oh?"

" **yeah, he was really excited after we arrived here. he wanted to have another person to rely on, but we didn't know anyone up on the surface, so he used that site. but some weird jerk ruined everything, while he was just trying to be nice to his date. i had expected to see him mad when he came back home but he was just sad and confused about what he did wrong. that really broke my heart, haven't seen him so down since he was a whiny babybones. i was even surprised that he didn't jump on that person. he has changed a lot now that i think about it. back in my universe, it was literally kill or be killed. he was the head of the royal guard and had an image to keep so he was pretty rough and even abusive sometimes.** "

"so that's what you meant by 'being used to it'." Papyrus frowned.

" **i-i guess.** " Sans subconsciously ran his phalanges over the crack on his skull when Papyrus gave him a judging look. " **but as i said, he has changed, he was being mean only to keep us and our home safe. now we are on the surface and he acts more...acceptably... he even says some nice things from time to time. i know what you are thinking, that should be normal. but it's pretty hard from where we came from and it takes time to get used to it. though over these past months, he's made a big progress. i'm really proud of him, i honestly thought that he'd even want to go back to underfell. it makes me sad that he's still pretty tense around _me_. i should be the closest person to him but my guess is that he thinks that he might fall in my eyes. and that'd never happen.** "

"it's called underfell, huh? how did you get here in the first place?"

" **well, i was working on a machine that was in the basement at the back of our house. bo-ugh, my p-papyrus eventually found out about it after seeing me sneak inside late at night. so he forced me to tell him about it and actually supported the idea of getting out of that hell hole. after some work, for which he even helped me, we got here and we liked it, so we stayed.** " Sans finished and smiled, probably not realizing it. But Papyrus noticed. It was nice to see that from a grumpy skeleton like the other was. Though he supposed that he looked like that when he talked about his own brother, too.

Silence fell over them. It wasn't uncomfortable but it made Papyrus feel weird. He spilled so much information to a person he knew for some minutes. Though, he always talked about how cool his brother was with his close friends to the point it got annoying, so it was probably normal. And the other seemed to be just as fond of his brother as he was so it was okay. Then he remembered the original reason both were here and suddenly felt bad for giving the other false hope that he might get himself a date. He couldn't see the other as the romantic type, but he had to apologize anyway.

"hey, uh, sorry about the date thing by the way. i guess that you didn't expect someone like me, heh." the taller skeleton laughed awkwardly.

" **eh, i wasn't expecting anything really, i was actually gonna give up on the night halfway through the walk.** " Sans shrugged. " **i was kinda too lazy to walk so much. and on top of that, i haven't been sleeping so well lately .** "

"nightmares?" Papyrus asked without realizing that it was none of his business.

Sans averted his gaze, furrowing his brows and after thinking about it a little, he nodded.

"we have more in common than i expected. if it makes you feel better though, as long as you are here, no resets are going to occur. haven't in years. i had a talk with the kid and they made a promise. i'm not even sure if they can still do anything."

" **oh...** "

Another moment of silence, this time an awkward one. Papyrus leaned back on the bench and put his hands behind his skull, resting it on them and staring at the sky. Which made him realize how late it was. It was already getting dark and the stars were more visible. That gave him an idea.

"if you really are something like me, you might appreciate the sight above." he tried to take the other's attention somewhere else than where it was right now, which was probably bad stuff that happened in the past. And he succeeded. Sans looked up and his eye sockets visibly widened. Yes, that should've worked.

" **no matter how much i look at the real thing, it never gets less exciting.** " the shorter skeleton admitted.

"same with me, and i've been around for much longer."

" **thanks.** " Sans muttered after a while.

That took Papyrus by surprise. "what are you talking about?"

" **w-well i dunno, listening to me 'n stuff. usually people find it annoying when i talk too much about my bro. but you listened. maybe because it was for the first time but still. and as much as i liked our little talk, it's getting pretty late. i should, ya know, go home. don't wanna worry paps.** "

"oh yeah, of course. uh, could i get your number, maybe? if you don't mind."

Now it was Sans' turn to feel surprised. He didn't expect that. " **sure, if i get to get yo—wait a second.** " He grinned. " **you already have it. was that with some kind of purpose?** "

"damn, saw _right through me._ but I wouldn't mind giving you mine." Papyrus said, acting like he didn't even plan this. He still didn't know why this Sans never reacted to any of his puns though. He neither got mad, nor laughed at them. He'd probably learn soon about that. "text me anytime, just don't expect an immediate answer. i'll probably be sleeping or napping."

" **yeah, same here.** "

After they exchanged phone numbers, they stood up. It was time to part.

"see ya, red." uh-oh, that was a slip of the tongue.

That made Sans stop in his tracks and look at the other. " **'red' huh? sure, bye, stretch.** " He grinned and turned around to continue on his own way after waving at the tallek skeleton.  
Papyrus felt as if his steps were lighter than usual while he was walking home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda boring, I know, but it's one of those chapters I just can't skip. If anyone is wondering how Paps has Red's number, remember that he was the one who texted him? And Red probably deleted these messages in case his Boss checks his phone.  
> Next chapter is going to be delayed because I have things to draw and I'll probably be busy the whole day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sorry that this took so long but something unexpected happened irl and I was pretty down a few days, so I couldn't write properly. Not that I'm proud of this chapter, but it could be worse... At least it got around 3k words. Anyway, if you're interested, [here are two old drawings of the brothers' dogs and how I see them](http://blur-draws.tumblr.com/post/148648074189/also-yeah-drew-these-some-time-ago-reference). I hope you enjoy reading!

Papyrus groaned as he felt something warm crawl along his ribcage, which was only covered by a tank top. He was half expecting Blue to wake him up as soon the sun rose but then someone licked his cheekbone and he immediately knew who it was. He slowly opened his eye sockets as the licking continued.

"okay, okay, i'm up, geez, give me a minute lil' snowflake." he slurred and picked up the tiny white dog, putting it aside, stretching and popping some bones, hearing the pup whine at the sound.

"heh." he grinned, "are you hungry, pal? you up for a walk?" He was in a good mood so why not.  
The puppy seemed to approve that idea, getting eager after hearing the last question. It jumped off the bed, barking somewhere around the house.

Papyrus shook his head and looked at the clock, shocked that he was left to sleep past noon, suddenly remembering that Blue was still at Alphys'. He stood up and picked a white hoodie with orange sleeves from the closet Sans _tried_ to keep organized, along with some cargo shorts, going through his morning routine, which didn't take long - in less than 20 minutes he was already ready for the day. Yeah, a nap sounded pretty good right now. But he had a pet to take care of. He went to the fridge, which of course was stuffed with taco leftovers, grabbed what looked like in the best condition and put it to heat up in the microwave. While waiting, he filled the little snowflake's bowl with food. Soon paws could be heard tapping on the floor as their owner attacked the food.

After Papyrus finished the tacos and put the dish in the sink, he let himself fall on the couch, getting his phone out of his pocket. The walk could wait, he told himself as he prepared to text his new friend. Not that they didn't do that till 3 AM last night.

* hey red, you awake?

After like 20 seconds, he got a reply.

*** heya stretch. half so. can't exactly doze off with my bro around and loud noises coming from the kitchen. anyway, 'sup?**

* eh, nothing much. i woke up some time ago and got bored so i texted ya.

*** woah, i thought your brother didn't let you sleep that much.**

* nah, he usually doesn't but he's staying at a friend's pla-

"RUDE!"

"woah!" Papyrus flinched so hard that he fell flat on the floor when he heard a loud voice right next to where his ears would be, his phone sliding off from his grip, flying off to somewhere before he even had the chance to finish his message. "oof!"  
He groaned in frustration and the moment he stood up, he almost lost balance again when Blue jumped and locked him in a bear hug.

"PAPY! I'M BACK!" he said with his usual cheerful tone.

"hey bro, nice to see you." the taller one returned the hug, "just don't do that again, please."

"SORRY! I SAW THE SNOWFLAKE STANDING BY THE DOOR SO I THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE STILL ASLEEP, BUT TO MY SURPRISE, YOU WEREN'T. BUT YOU WERE SO DISTRACTED YOU DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE ME SNEAKING UP BEHIND THE COUCH! SO, WHO IS THIS 'RED' PERSON? SOUNDS LIKE A NICKNAME YOU WOULD GIVE."

"oh he's just a...friend i met yesterday. it was a weird walk, heh."

"THEY SEEM LIKE THEY ARE JUST AS LAZY AS YOU ARE."

"yeah, you're probably right about that." Papyrus shrugged.

"ANYWAY, YOU'LL TELL ME MORE ABOUT THEM LATER, YOU STILL HAVE SOMEONE TO TAKE TO A WALK." Sans waved dismissively making Papyrus pout at that. The taller skeleton went to the kitchen, picking his phone up from the carpet and getting the collar he had left on the counter earlier. He put it around the puppy's neck after attaching the leash. He grabbed a bottle of honey, taking it with himself. When he turned around, Blue was already in front of the sink, cleaning up the mess left in there.

"i'm heading out bro." Papyrus notified Sans one last time when he was next to the door.

"HAVE FUN BROTHER!" the other yelled back.

Papyrus stepped out and took in the fresh air. It really wasn't the best day out, not so sunny, a few clouds swimming in the sky. But he couldn't want it any better, it was perfect for him. The dog next to him started jumping on one spot, already getting impatient. The skeleton headed to the place they usually went with the snowflake. It had some other pals to run around with there, it was peaceful and quiet and he had a place to sit down, so he honestly didn't mind. He actually liked going there.

After some walking they were in front of the park's entance. They continued walking when suddenly Papyrus remembered something. Oh shit, he forgot. He hadn't even managed to send the last message he wrote because Blue startled him. He didn't stop in his tracks, searching in his pocket. Good, he didn't forget his phone at least. It was turned off, probably because of the hard fall, so he turned it on. When the screen loaded, he finally received a text from Red, which was sent 7 minutes ago.

*** hey man, you alive? don't leave me hanging like that.**

* yeah, sorry, my bro scared the shit outta me and  
 i totally forgot to send my previous msg. i was saying,  
he was at a friend's for a sleepover but he's home now.

The next response got delayed for some reason, but still came.

*** heh. there goes your freedom. anyway, 'sup?**

* got kicked out of my own house. the dog wanted to go on a walk.

*** pfft, our bros really go hard on us. so you've got a dog, huh?**

* yeah, we had it back when we were still underground.  
sans was already taking care of it and he felt bad leaving  
it alone, so we took it in. it's a real cutie.

And now it was Papyrus' turn to wait for an answer. Red suddenly went offline. What could've happened? He took a sip from his honey. It probably was something like him being too lazy to charge his phone. The skeleton lifted his gaze, looked around and realized that he had stopped in the middle of the path, staring at his phone like a zombie. There goes his bag of jokes about teenagers who do the same thing. He had been so distracted - again - that he didn't even pay attention to his surroundings - there was a little ball of fur culred up between his feet, sleeping quietly. But they still weren't at their wanted destination. So he knelt down and woke the pup up. They continued on walking, this time with no interruptions.

* * *

Red was walking with his own dog, not believing what just happened. How could his phone die in just that moment?! He needed it only a few more minutes! Damn it, he decides to use it for once and gets betrayed. Though he supposed that was what he gets for not charging it properly. He was just about to ask Stretch if he wanted to meet up, since he couldn't stand the smell of burnt lasagna that went around the whole house. Even his stupid pet whined at it. But he couldn't bring himself to tell his Boss when he heard the happy huming coming from the kitchen. So he excused himself out. He was going to go out anyway, he did everyday. Damn that mutt, Papyrus brought it for him just so he had a reason to go out. At first Red hated it but with time, he grew attached to it. Not that he'd admit it.

So he tried to guess where the other was. They met at the entrance of Ebott Park the first time, so he migh live somewhere around. Therefore, he probably walks his dog here, too. Right? He just hoped that he wouldn't get lost, he's been here less than 5 times and he was already deep enough inside the park to get confused. He was usually good at remembering places, but this place was _huge_. And the mutt dragging him around didn't help much. It was very big, taller than him when it stood on two paws. He didn't really have much of a choice but to follow it's tracks. He wasn't sure who walked the other anymore, it was like he was the one who was led around.

He widened his eyes when the other's head suddenly lifted from the grass it was sniffing seconds ago, perking up its ears and listening.

" **uh-oh.** " Red muttered as he heard another dog barking from the distance, knowing what's next. The leash suddenly straightened, his dog dashing so fast he almost fell on his face. He didn't know what to do - hold on tight or let it go. He chose the former. And oh what a mistake that was. His pet wouldn't stop. At least it was a straight line. Red has never run so much in his life.

" **stop it, you stupid mutt!** " he protested.

* * *

Papyrus was walking peacefully, drinking his honey, as he heard a familiar voice yelling behind him. He turned around. Was that--his thoughts were interrupted as something quickly made a circle around him, a rope-like thing binding his legs together, causing him to lose balance and falling on his back. Oh c'mon, it couldn't get worse, this was the second time today! He felt something sticky covering his _white_ hoodie. Oh. It _could_ get worse. There was also some weight on his legs and he could hear loud, excited barking.The weight over him shifted and Papyrus looked in its direction. There Red was, covered in dirt, lying half on him - his legs over the other's - half on the ground.

" **ugh, i'm so sorry but my dog dragged me over here and i couldn't stop it.** " the shorter monster said, head still down. But just as he begun rising his gaze, he gasped.

" **stretch!** " he moved away and stood up, dusting off his clothes and giving the other a hand to help him up. He then observed him and the other still seemed pretty shocked. And then he started laughing which brought the taller one to his senses.

"wh...what are you laughing at?" he frowned.

Red continued giggling, pointing at Stretch's hoodie. Papyrus looked down and deadpanned. It was covered in honey. It was completely ruined. He didn't even know what to say, leaving his mouth slightly opened.

"huh, seems like i got into a pretty _sticky_ situation." he finally mumbled, sighing. He could've sworn he saw a hint of a smile on the other's face.

" **seriously though, you've got anything to change into?** " Red asked, feeling slightly guilty. But just a little.

Papyrus hummed. It was warm enough and it was even sunnier than before, so why not. "yeah, i've got a tank top under it." He picked up the now almost empty bottle of honey and threw it in the nearest bin. He realized that there was no leash in his hand and for a second he panicked, until he saw his snowflake with another huge dog, playing and sniffing around. A free bench caught his attention - not that there was anyone around, thankfully - and he headed towards it. 

"c'mon pals, c'mon red. let's sit down for now." he called out for the others to sit with him. When they did, he took off his messed up wear and was left in only his black tank top. He shivered at the sudden change of temperature, but it was okay, he was starting to sweat anyway. He didn't even know how that was possible. He also couldn't help but notice how the other observed him.

"what's up?"

Red flinched when he realized he was staring. " **s-sorry, it's just...your bone structure is very different from my papyrus' one.** ". He flushed. Well, it really was true. **"his bones are uh...sharper? guess it has to do something with the edginess of our universe.** " he shrugged, dropping the topic.

"so, you've got a dog too, huh?" Papyrus asked, his gaze shifting back to the pets that were playing nearby while he folded his hoodie and kept it in his hands. "i should've guessed." he continued after he got a nod. "by the way, what happened earlier? you suddenly went off."

" **oh yeah, that. my phone died. i was actually gonna ask you if ya wanted to meet up 'cause...let's just say that boss started cooking and i didn't want to suffocate from the smell of burnt lasagna.** " Red chuckled.

"'boss'?"

" **u-uh! i mean, papyrus! i-i don't know why i called him that, haha...** " the shorter skeleton laughed nervously. Shit, that was too suspicious. Calm down Sans, he thought.

"...ookay..?" Stretch said awkwardly. For some reason, the atmosphere became pretty tense and Red started sweating bullets. "hey, you alright? you're sweating. oh man, i just realized that you've got your jacket on! aren't you feeling hot?"

Red really had to resist the urge to make a pun right at that moment. " **n-no, i'm used to it and...** " No, Papyrus wasn't buying it. " **ugh, okay, maybe a little.** " he admitted and carefully took off the black jacket, now only in a blood red turtleneck sweater. He rolled his left sleeve up, hesitating when he reached to his right one and leaving it down. But Papyrus seemed to notice because he was staring into his right arm, his eyes squinted.

"can i see your right arm?" Oh fuck.

" **w-why would you want that..?** "

"no, nevermind. sorry."  Papyrus apologized, now looking at the other's turtleneck sweater. He almost wondered why he wears that in such a weather, but realized what was written on it and started chuckling. It said 'YOU LEFT ME AN OPENING FOR A SCIENCE PUN AND I JUST LEPTON IT'.

" **d-don't laugh at me, this is old anyway!** " Red lied, pouting and preparing to put his jacket on.

"no, no, sorry, it's just..." the taller monster continued, "i didn't see you as a person who likes bad jokes. that makes it easier for me. and for you, because, seriously, prepare for a lot of that."

" **yeah, kinda figured from the first minute we met. just don't _pa-tell-a_ paps, kay?** "

Suddenly, a puppy dashed towards Sans, jumping on his lap and making him widen his eyes. " **what the...** " he lifted his gaze and saw his own mutt standing in place, almost as if glaring at him. Or was it at the pup? It growled at the snowflake, getting a whimper out of it. " **aww, did ya two fight? what is it, numbskull, can't take any more of someone's cuteness?** " Red teased and the dog showed its fangs at its owner. " **hey, don't pull that shit on me.** "

"wow, it actually likes you." looking genuinely surprised, Stretch met his puppy's eyes.

" **why not? it seems like a nice pup.** "

"oh, don't judge it by its looks. it might look sweet and innocent but any moment it can rip off your arm. i pissed it off once and it did. literally, since i'm a skeleton. fun times."

" **what the fuck is wrong with this place...** " the shorter monster muttered and shuddered at the thought.  
  
While Papyrus' pet settled more comfortably on the skeleton's lap, the bigger dog stared at him for some time, then it stood up from its sitting position and headed towards Stretch. He looked at Red, surprised when it took a place on his shoes, laying there, looking at Sans as if proud of itself.

"wha--wait, don't tell me that your dog got jealous or something because you are petting mine." Papyrus snorted.

" **i uh, wow. i knew that it's possessive but...getting jealous...though, i can say the same thing about this little pal here.** " Red grinned and pointed at the pup in his lap which was staring at the bigger dog in a weirdly creepy way.

"the more you know." Stretch shrugged.

* * *

 

Meeting like this became a daily routine, usually after they finished work. And so a week passed. They talked. And talked and talked about whatnot, from things that had happened during the resets to things that they had plans for. And they learned a lot about each other, mostly random facts. They really were very similar, but also had a lot of differences. Like Red giving up more and more with each RESET and Stretch getting more protective over his brother. Or how Red has never even tried smoking and Stretch was almost addicted. Not to mention Sans' love for mustard and Papyrus' for honey and sweet things. It was Sunday today and they didn't even realize what time it was, the dogs exhausted after making up and running around again, now cuddled up asleep between the skeletons' feet.

" **and then i told him--** "

" **SANS! SO THIS IS WHERE YOU WERE BROTHER! COME HERE THIS INSTANT!** "

And Sans did, immediately recognizing the voice of his bro. He almost stepped on the mutt's tail while standing up - instead stomping next to it and waking both dogs up, quickly getting in front of the one that called him.

"y-yeah, paps?"

" **DON'T 'YEAH' ME BROTHER! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU FOR AN HOUR NOW! YOU GOT ME SO WORRIED I EVEN WENT OUT TO LOOK FOR YOU!** "

" **sorry, bo-- uh, bro, my phone's dead again. i just saw a friend of mine and lost track of time.** "

" **A FRIEND?** " Papyrus lifted a brow bone.

" **yeah..?** " Red said hesitantly and pointed back where he supposed the other was, without bothering to look. His brother's expression changed instantly. It was...deadly? Like he was about to encounter his biggest enemy. Sans saw a shadow looming over him, recognizing the other Papyrus' presence.

"y o u ."

" **YES, ME.** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I understand Red's struggle not to call UF!Pap 'Boss'. Almost every time I mentioned him, I wrote Boss.  
> By the way, I'm _still_ open for suggestions because after the next chapter comes, I have no plans and no idea what I'm going to do. Not that i do now, but yeah, you got the point.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, when I thought that I'm going to update slowly, I probably didn't mean 2 months...Better late than never, no?

" **you two...know each other?** "

"hell yeah we do!"

" **UNFORTUNATELY!** "

" **h-huh?** " Red was confused. He stepped aside and looked back and forth between them.

" **WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE MY BROTHER TOO?** "

" **too? what are you-** " the short skeleton tried to get answers but got rudely interrupted.

"your brother!? well that explains a lot! you freak, did you do the same things you almost did to my bro to him?"

" **WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ALL I DID WAS BE NICE TO HIM, JERK!** "

"sure, as if i didn't notice the way you were touching him!"

" **HMPH, SO YOU ADMIT THAT YOU WERE FOLLOWING US! AND YOU CALL _ME_ A FREAK!**"

"i just wanted to make sure that an asshole like you wouldn't ruin him!"

" **RUIN HIM?** **I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!** "

And that's when Sans finally understood what was happening. _No. Fucking. Way._ Why didn't he figure that out earlier?

" **BESIDES, DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT HIS INNOCENCE? HMPH, THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR THINKING THAT YOU'RE AT LEAST SMART. HE'S AS OLD AS ME, DO YOU REALIZE THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT HE IS...'PURE'? NO WAY THAT HE HASN'T HEARD OR SEEN ANYTHING? _YOU_ MIGHT HAVE NOT TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT IT, AFTER ALL, YOU ARE A COWARD. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE'S CLUELESS."**

"how dare you speak about him like that, you barely know anything about him!" Red didn't think that he'd live so long to hear the usually laid-back skeleton's voice raise. He felt his mutt lean it's head into his shoulder, probably trying to show its support and heard the other snow-white puppy whimper.

" **OR MAYBE _YOU_ ARE THE ONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW HIM WELL ENOUGH!** "

"so? did you expect me to leave him in your hands? sure, he might know a thing or two, but it would be irresponsible to let him stay with you. i don't want him to become a pet of yours. i don't want him to get anxious just by the thought of you. i don't want him to hurt himself and-"

" **DO. _NOT_. INVOLVE MY BROTHER IN THIS!** " Fell warned when he saw Sans' eye sockets dim and his body tense up.

"what, did you feel bad because you know that you're not treating him right?" Stretch didn't mean to say it. He really didn't. But he did. He was tired of the way Red was trying to hide certain details. He knew that he was being too straightforward but at the same time, he wanted to make the other him feel at least a bit bad about it.

Silence fell over for a moment. And then they began again. Throwing arguments at each other, like some stray dogs fighting over a piece of meat. You might think that Red was used to hearing such things, back in his universe, those were daily. But no, there was no getting used to them. They just made him remember everything. And on top of that, he could feel the lingering gazes of the people passing by, which made him even more anxious, even if they weren't many. He was also angry at Papyrus. Both of them. At Fell for lecturing the other about how he looks after his brother, and at Stretch for using him as an example for the consequences that followed after living so long with the edgier skeleton. He already knew that he was pathetic and that he couldn't deny what he was. He didn't need a reminder. He wasn't even listening anymore. There was just no point in listening to their empty threats. That was until someone grabbed his right arm rather gently, considering the situation, and pulled his sweater's sleeve up. Then the real panic settled in. Shit. Everyone was going to see. He was half expecting it to be Boss that pulled him so suddenly, but it wasn't him. And all he could hear was a brief pause of silence and "he might try to hide it but-" No. He didn't want to hear. So he didn't pay attention. But how could he not? He tried to break free but the attempt was half-hearted, his body starting to shiver. Before he could think about it much, he was pulled by, probably, his brother in a somehow protective grip. He couldn't make much sense of the two's words, but he could easily tell that they were still fighting, judging by the little things he could understand. "collar". "pet". "self-harm". Those words were almost covered by some barks of his dog but he still heard them clearly.  
That's it.

" **s t o p.** " he said firmly, his eye sockets empty like the void, voice almost commanding. " **stop talking about me like i'm not even here!** ". He yanked his hand out of the now weakened grip and started walking away, his pet following him silently.

" **SANS, WAIT!** " he heard heavy footsteps behind him.

" **fuck off, papyrus.** "he warned, not even bothering to turn around. He usually wouldn't even dare to think about being so sassy around his brother, but right now, he didn't feel like being under the pressure of his own morals. Putting a hand over the dog's head, he called his magic and disappeared in an instant, teleporting to his own room. He locked the door, even though he knew that Boss could easily kick it down if he wanted to. But he wouldn't. Not at a time like this.

It seemed like a great time for a nap. Turning off the lights, he climbed on his bed, patting the empty place next to him softly, calling the dog to take a seat there. The mutt immediately jumped on the bed while its owner made himself comfortable under the covers. It snuggled into Sans, laying on him, trying to soothe him with its soft fur. It almost covered his whole body, keeping him extra warm. The skeleton couldn't help falling fast asleep.

* * *

Fell and Stretch were standing in place, stunned by the short skeleton's sudden anger. The edgier monster's hand was still hanging in the air, supposed to be reaching out for Sans. A wave of realization and guilt hit them. Fell felt regret crawl on his back. After all of the progress he'd made with getting his and Sans' relationship on a more stable level, a single loss of control over his emotions, a stupid argument with a monster he barely knew ruined all those months of hard work to rebuild what he had almost destroyed. He sighed and let his hand go slack as he turned around, expecting to meet his alternate self's glare or at least gaze. But he didn't. Stretch was staring down at the ground with a frown, his phalanges clenched into fists.

"fuck...man, i really fucked up badly, didn't i?" he murmured and Fell wasn't sure if the question was directed towards him or if he was just asking himself, but he decided to answer.

" **YOU...SURE DID.** " he spat and continued before the other had a chance to say something. " **AND SO DID I. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD FEEL LESS AT FAULT**." When he got no answer, he decided that it might be time to check on Sans. " **I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW.** " That might have been a little too cruel, but not for his standards. So with that, he headed to the exit, leaving the other Papyrus stay there alone with his pet.

* * *

Fell sighed as he stepped in his and Sans' shared house. He took off his shoes and headed straight for his brother's bedroom, only to find its door locked. With another sigh, he dove into his jacket's pocket to take out a spare key the other never knew of. What? He was tired of paying for new doors! He unlocked the door and it creaked softly as he walked in, his eyes trying to adjust to the dim lighting. He caught a sign of movement coming from the bed and heard that familiar menacing growl.

" **Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him.** " he said quietly and stepped forward. Upon a closer observation, he saw his brother snuggled into the blanket, his so called 'mut' laying on top of him, keeping him warm. He couldn't recall the last time he saw his brother snap like that, so he was relieved to see him resting.

" **At least you seem to know how to treat him right. Maybe it wasn't a mistake to take you in.** " he whispered, petting the dog. He slightly readjusted the covers before turning around to leave the room.

* * *

Blue was enjoying his weekend, trying out a new recipe for tacos. It's not like he didn't enjoy his job, not at all! It just felt so weird, not having to patrol around and all. But he also loved spending his time in his own kitchen. He was so concentrated in his work that he almost jumped when he heard the familiar 'pop' of his brother's magic. He was finally home. About time! It was getting late, even for his brother. Who knew how dangerous it was when it became dark on the surface! He quickly wiped his hands and dashed out of the room, seeing Papyrus put Snowflake down on the ground, his shoes already off, only socks covering his feet.

"PAPY!" Sans yelled excitedly and jumped on his brother, hugging and clinging to him like he might've never seen him if he didn't return. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG, YOU KNOW THAT I HATE IT WHEN YOU STAY OUT SO LATE! AT LEAST WARN ME NEXT TIME!"

"yeah, blue, sorry, i was just...thinking..." Papyrus answered, a smile appearing on his face that somehow didn't fit as it usually did.

"THINKING? WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE OUT WITH RED?"  
At the mention of the other short skeleton, his brother's smile visibly fell down into a neutral expression.

"y-yeah, sort of. i just stayed a bit after he uh...left." Blue knew that face. Papyrus was avoiding his gaze and wasn't telling the truth.

"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?"

"nah bro, i'm just really tired, the dogs wanted to play a bit and you know that i don't have that much stamina. speaking of." he changed the topic like he always did but Blue decided to play along since Papy probably didn't want to talk about what happened yet. But he knew that he would, Sans just had to be patient. "...ue? blue? i was saying, could you wash my hoodie? the dogs didn't stop jumping on me and their paws were probably muddy. it got really dirty, but i know that that wouldn't stop you." the shorter skeleton only nodded. "cool. i'll be up in my room...sleeping. don't call me for dinner though, i'm not hungry. c'mon lil' snowflake." With a last beckon, the white puppy followed Papyrus and soon the click of the door could be heard but Blue didn't move from his spot. He only half-listened to his brother, trying to figure out what was wrong just by looking at the other's expression, but he failed. Guess that was the part where the taller monster was better than him. He got a little sad that he wouldn't be able to let Papyrus taste his new kind of tacos. The tacos!

"OH NO!" he returned to the kitchen, greeted by the smell of burnt taco shells. Great.

* * *

Things were getting weird. The next morning he woke up, only to find Papyrus sleeping on the cоuch. When Blue asked him why he was there, he simply said "couldn't sleep well" and took his usual seat, waiting for his breakfast, which he barely touched. He looked tired and definitely not like someone who slept well, if at all. Sans tried to talk to him, and when the taller skeleton finally agreed to tell him, he just told him that he offended a friend. It was Red, that much was obvious to Blue, since Papy probably spent his whole day out with him. His brother seemed to get very attached to the other, but he was ridiculous! Why was he moping when he could do something about it!? Honestly, sometimes he couldn't believe that Papyrus was older than him. But when he suggested him to go apologize, Papyrus refused, saying that Red probably doesn't want to see him right now. Such nonsense.

The worst of all is that Papyrus didn't move from his bed after 'breakfast'. Blue was used to him lazing around but that wasn't the point. His brother was sad and he couldn't do anything about it! He didn't even know Red, so he couldn't just go and talk with him. And what was so curious about the whole event was that Papyrus was one of those people who you couldn't not like. He couldn't think of a reason for them to fight.

Right now, he was at the park where the taller skeleton usually walked their pet. He was sitting in the corner of a wooden bench, leaning his hands on his knees and staring down at the hard-working ants between his feet like that was the best thing he's seen in his life. He was still worried about Papy but he couldn't leave Snowflake at home without its usual walk unless he wanted to clean after it again.

Instead of playing with the dog, he let it rest in his lap, not really in the mood for anything else. He was kind of sad that he failed to cheer Papy up. The other always found a way to cheer him up when he's upset. But Papyrus was just being so stubborn, how could he help him! He wouldn't tell him anything!

He felt someone sit down beside him, but didn't pay too much attention. It was probably one of those nosy older humans that always asked him random things whenever they felt like it.

" **Hello, why are you so down?** " he hears a deep voice, too distracted to realize that he knew who it belonged to.

"Hello to you too, stranger." he sighed, not bothering to look up.

" **Nyeh, is that how you greet an old friend?** "  
This got Blue's attention and he slowly lifted his gaze from the ground, a tiny gasp escaping him when he saw a tall skeleton sitting beside him.

"FELL!" A wide grin appeared on his face, probably for the first time today. He quickly hugged him as a greeting and then realized something. "OH NO, YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE! WHAT IF PAPY SEES YOU!"

" **HMPH, I DON'T THINK THAT HE'S GOING TO LEAVE HIS HOUSE SOON AFTER WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. I KNOW MY BROTHER WOULDN'T. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE UPSET, RIGHT? FIRST MY BROTHER, NOW YOU...** " Fell's voice was once again his usual loud one.

"W-WAIT, WAIT! WHAT..?" Blue tilted his head in confusion.

" **I UH... _WE_ GOT INTO A FIGHT YESTERDAY, WHEN I SAW HIM WITH MY BROTHER. I GUESS I WAS BEING TOO MEAN AND THAT IT WAS ME WHO STARTED ALL THAT MESS BUT HE DESERVES THE MOST CREDIT FOR MAKING MY BROTHER ANGRY!** "

"Mweh, too much information! Wasn't Papy sad about Red? Oh wait, no, so you have a brother? Is that Red? I...don't get it."

" **DIDN'T HE AT LEAST TELL YOU AS MUCH? OF COURSE THAT HE DIDN'T. YES, MY BROTHER IS THIS SO CALLED 'RED'.**

"OH...BUT WHAT DID HE DO? HE'S NOT A MONSTER THAT WOULD HURT SOMEBODY ON PURPOSE! And he seemed really mad at himself for whatever he did... I'M SURE THAT HE DIDN'T MEAN IT!"

" **THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE HIS ACTIONS! WHY DIDN'T HE APOLOGIZE THEN?** "

"I ASKED HIM TOO, BUT HE TOLD ME THAT RED PROBABLY DOESN'T EVEN WANT TO SEE HIM."

" **WELL, HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT. HE TRIES TO STAY AWAY FROM ME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TOO. AND THAT STUPID MUTT, THINKING THAT I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MY OWN BROTHER. IT REFUSED TO GO OUT AND STAYED IN, AS IF TO PROTECT RED FROM ME.** "  
At least that got a chuckle out of Sans, making Fell smile. A comfortable silence fell over them, until...

"SAY FELL, HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY CHANGE IN RED SINCE HE STARTED THOSE DAILY WALKS WITH PAPY?" Blue asked, a grin on his face.

" **HMM, WELL, BLUE, I CERTAINLY HAVE. HIS MOOD SEEMS TO BE WAY BETTER, HE ACTUALLY PUTS HIS CLOTHES ON TIME IN THE LAUNDRY AND HE DOESN'T MIND GOING OUT JUST FOR A CASUAL WALK. ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY SOMETHING HERE?** " Fell seemed to get his point immediately and smirked.

"IT'S JUST THAT, COINCIDENTALLY, PAPY DOES THAT TOO." the short skeleton stated. "DO YOU THINK THAT WE COULD..."

* * *

"PAPY, I'M BACK!" Blue greeted, not even fully in the house.

"hey blue, what's up?" Papyrus asked from the couch, staring blankly at the TV. His expression hadn't changed much but Blue knew how to fix it.

"OH! NOTHING MUCH, I JUST BROUGHT SOME FRIENDS ALONG!"

Papyrus hummed in understanding and stood up to say hi, expecting to see Alphys and Undyne at the door, already planning how to excuse himself and go back to his room.

What he _wasn't_ expecting was two dark figures standing at the doorway. The taller one was looking away with his hands crossed on his chest and the short one staring holes into him. He blinked, not daring to move.

" **COULD YOU STEP ASIDE SO WE COULD COME IN? OR ARE YOU GOING TO SEND US BACK?** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Fell and Blue talk like 'this' and not like 'THIS', it probably means that they are not trying to blow off your ears.  
> Again, sorry for the..HUGE delay, haha...*sweats*.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I seem to have no motivation to finish typing the whole chapter(around 2-3k words left), I decided to split it into two. It was supposed to be done a long time ago but while saving, a huge part of this chapter was deleted and I totally lost my mood. And I got tired of not updating soo- ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯.  
> I'm sure you're all sick of waiting. Sorry...

 

"uh...right..." Papyrus mumbled, stepping aside after what felt like forever. He wasn't up for another fight. The guests stepped in, their white dog waiting outside as if asking permission. Red looked at Stretch and the taller skeleton slowly nodded, as if too afraid that he'd say something wrong. Then his gaze shifted to Blue who gave him thumbs-up with both of his hands and starry eyes. What was he thinking? And more importantly, how did he even call the other two monsters? Was he still keeping in touch with Fell? He was going to have a little talk with him when this was over. If he gets out alive.

When everyone was inside, awkward silence almost set in before Blue spoke again.

"BROTHER, HAVE YOU EATEN ANYTHING AT ALL TODAY?"

Stretch flinched at the question, feeling Red's gaze on him again, quietly observing him. "i um..." the exhaustion wasn't helping him come up with an excuse, so when he took too long to answer, his brother gave him a knowing look. The short skeleton sighed and looked at Fell.

"I GUESS THE RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE HERE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT. COME ON FELL, THE KITCHEN IS OVER THERE." With a last smug look thrown at Stretch, Fell followed Blue and they made their way to the kitchen. Red went after them, tugging the leash connected to his pet's collar, preferring to stay with the others while they cooked over staying with the hoodie-clad skeleton. Of course said monster noticed, but what could he do? He couldn't force Red to make up with him and just return to their old relationship of easy and free interactions. So he went back to his previous spot on the couch, this time sitting. He wasn't sure why he was okay with leaving Blue with that creep, but after thinking about this the whole day, he decided to have a little more faith in his bro and give him a chance to prove himself. He couldn't always be there to keep an eye out for him after all.

* * *

Red followed the other two skeletons into the kitchen and sat down on one of the four chairs around the table. Fell and Blue seemed to be aware of his presence, yet they didn't pay him any attention. Instead, the clanking of pots and dishes filled the room, along with their loud voices. Should he be expecting the house burning after 5 minutes?

They were discussing a new recipe for some kind of food Blue called tacos. Red hoped that it would end up at least half decent because he wasn't sure if he could take more burnt lasagna.

The cheerful skeleton seemed to be the exact opposite of Fell, so Red wasn't sure how they were getting along so well. But he could see why his brother liked him so much. His thoughts went back to the conversation they had when they met for the first time, when they were walking to Blue and Stretch's house.

_"OH, SO YOU'RE THAT RED MY BROTHER ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT? WOWIE, YOU LOOK LIKE ME SO MUCH!"_

**_"h-he...does what?"_ **

_"YES, HE ALWAYS TELLS ME HOW MUCH FUN HE HAS HAD WITH YOU! HE MUST REALLY LIKE YOUR COMPANY, I MEAN, HE HAS A LOT OF FRIENDS, BUT EVEN I AM SURPRISED THAT HE'S WILLING TO STAY OUT AFTER WORK."_

**_"oh..."_ **

_"I UM... I KNOW ABOUT THE FIGHT YOU TWO HAD BUT... PLEASE DON'T GO TOO HARD ON HIM, HE IS REALLY ASHAMED AND UPSET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. I'M SURE THAT HE DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY WHATEVER HE SAID. PAPY IS NOT LIKE THAT!"_

He had said all of that while smiling genuinely.  
Now he really did understand why Stretch was so protective over his little brother. Red could see the baby bones Papyrus he had before he reached an age where he could understand how their world had worked.  
Blue seemed to love his brother just as much. Even if Red hated admitting it, he had already forgiven the other. He had to forget the words he recieved and accept the truth. So he just had to word it out. But he had no idea what was stopping him. Every time he looked at Stretch, he felt awkward and didn't know how to start. He felt...guilty? For making the other suffer too, judging by the other's more exhausted expression.

He returned his attention to the skeletons cooking in front of him. They were still acting as if they were preoccupied with whatever they were doing, talking to each other like they were alone in the room. Were they ignoring him on purpose? Maybe they didn't want him here and he was just retarded for not taking the hints.  
He stood up and went closer.

**"hey guys, i feel kinda useless right now, just sitting here and all, is there something i could help ya with?"**

Both monsters turned around with a weird expression. Then they exchanged looks.

**"NO, BROTHER, THERE IS NO NEED FOR THAT. I'M HAPPY THAT YOU OFFER, BUT REST ASSURED THAT I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, AND THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, CAN TAKE CARE OF THE DINNER!"**

"HE'S RIGHT, RED! AND YOU'RE A GUEST, WE WON'T MAKE YOU WORK, SIT DOWN AND GET COMFORTABLE!"

**"but paps is a guest t-"**

"OR! YOU COULD GO TO PAPY AND TALK WITH HIM, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT YOU'LL GET BORED IF YOU AREN'T BY NOW! HE SHOULD MAKE SOME EFFORT AND TAKE CARE OF HIS GUEST!"

 **"uh, y-yeah, sure, i guess i'll just...leave you two..."** Red trailed off as the other him grinned widely and raised his sauce-covered hands into thumbs-up, for the second time this day. The edgy skeleton turned his gaze to the exit of the kitchen. The two skeletons obviously were trying to keep him away, so he had no choice. He could see Stretch sitting in front of the TV with a weird object in his hands. He sighed and left, heading straight to the living room, leaving his mutt with the other white dog.

* * *

"damn it, i lost again..." Stretch mumbled under his breath when the 'GAME OVER' screen appeared. He let his head rest back on the couch and closed his eyes with a sigh. After staying like that for a while, almost falling asleep, he felt the couch dip under someone else's weight. He opened one eye socket lazily to check who it was, not expecting to see Red in the left corner of the old couch. He had brought his tiny legs up to his ribs, hugging them. He was observing the gaming console in front of him curiously.  
Shit. What was Papyrus supposed to do? Should he just ignore him? No, no, that would just make things worse. He was supposed to apologize.

"hey red."  
The short skeleton probably wasn't expecting to be spoken to, judging by the way he flinched. He lifted his head to meet the other's gaze and stared at him for some time. " **heya...stretch.** " he said, looking away. He wasn't sure why he was so stubborn.

"you uh, wanna play with me? couldn't help but notice you were staring." _Wait no, Papyrus, you're skipping way too much of this conversation. You had to apologize, you idiot_ , he thought and facepalmed internally.

" **um, i've never...used...whatever this is.** "

"oh, really?" Papyrus asked, most likely to fill the silence. _Of course that Red hasn't, he didn't live in our universe some months ago_. He stood up and picked up another controller. "here." he handed it to Red. "you use this to play."  
Then he sat back on the couch, next to the short monster, with his own controller in his hands. He switched to the multiplayer mode and a character selection menu appeared.

"so, you choose your character first. since it doesn't affect your gameplay, you can choose whoever you want." the taller one explained, waiting for Red to select something.

Red stared down at his controller, wondering what he was supposed to do. He's never seen such a thing back in his universe. Maybe it was a human thing? Hell if he knew.  
" **uhhh...** " he looked at Papyrus, his face full of confusion.

"oh yeah, sorry." the other chuckled. "use the arrow keys and that button to confirm your choice." he explained, pointing at said buttons.

" **thanks.** " Red said quietly, looking at the screen to see what he can select. _Stretch said that it didn't matter, right?_ So he just chose one that looked particularly angry. _'Cause why the heck not._

"good job." Papyrus encouraged as he quickly selected his own character. Another screen replaced the old one, this time with different landscapes as choices. "now we choose a field where we play. go ahead and choose one. i recommend you something with a more linear road, since you're still a newbie."

Red almost didn't hesitate when he selected a zone with a lot of rocks, plants and waterfalls.  
Stretch remembered how one day they had talked about places they liked to relax. Hadn't Red mentioned a hiding spot in his Underground's Waterfall? Papyrus took a mental note for later use.

"in this game, you race against me. your objective is, obviously, to be the first one to finish all the laps. you control the car by moving the left analog stick." Stretch started explaining, pointing as he continued talking. "you'll collect different things on your way to the finish line. like weapons, shields and others. you can carry four at once, use them by pressing those buttons; **X** is for the first one, **O** is for the next one and...well you get the point. you also gotta be careful not to crash into objects. that will slow you down or possibly kill you. then-"

" **woah, woah, too much information at once. i will learn while i'm on the road, yeah? better the hard way than never.** "

"heh, yeah, you're right." the taller one agreed, leaning back on the couch. He was going to let Red win the first round anyway.

The game started with a countdown. '3...2...1...GO!' said a voice from the game. At first Red was having a hard time with figuring exactly how much pressure he had to use on the analog stick. He was bumping in everything he passed - trees, rocks, walls. But not even halfway the first lap, he already got used to it. The next challenge he had to go through was the timing when the hairpin bends came. He had no idea when to hit the brakes, but eventually got that too. He was so concentrated in the game that he forgot that this was a multiplayer game. He relaxed his face from the unintentional frown it had formed and threw a quick glance at the stats menu, right next to the map in the right corner. As his speed was getting higher, it was harder to-wait what? Why was he first? And not only that but the other was too far to catch up with him as he was getting close to the finish line. _There's something fishy here_ , he thought when he finished the last lap.

" **huh.** " he didn't even try to sound surprised.

"ah, so 'beginner's luck' really does exist. looks like you beat me, buddy."  
Well yeah, Stretch's brother could buy that, but Red was having none of that. He _hated_ being underestimated.

" **stretch, if you really are anything like me, i already know what you did. i ain't your bro though, i won't get sad over a game. so no need to hold back, 'kay?** "

"shit. i suck at cheering people up, don't i? sorry red, i wasn't underestimating you, i just thought that you'd feel better after kicking my ass, at least in a game."

" **i could always do that in real life.** "

"wanna try?"

Red rolled his eyelights almost dramatically with a sigh. " **so we playing for real this time?** ", he could barely hold his grin back.

"hell yeah." Stretch smirked back. "i'll turn on the collectible boosts and weapons this time."

" **sounds cool.** " the short skeleton commented without thinking much while staring at the screen with multiple menus titled 'settings'.

"aaand...done. no holding back this time." announced the taller monster.

" **yep.** " Red shifted, sank deeper into the couch and gripped his controller harder. He wanted to prove the other that he didn't need to be gone easy on.  
This time Stretch chose the map. It was a place that looked like the city they live in, except with a _lot_ more buildings and glowing signs everywhere. It seemed a bit complicated, but Red was always up for a challenge. The number of laps needed in order to win was changed to 4.  
3...  
2...  
1...  
GO!

The map wasn't really as hard as it looked. The only problems were the damn collectibles. Stretch was just in front of his own car and picked up most of them, spamming Red with rockets and all kind of traps. He also had that stupid grin on his face. _He is doing it on purpose, isn't he?_ But Red will show him, he'll erase any kind of positive emotion from his skull and _wreck_ (hah) him.  
All he had managed to get was a speed boost and a shield. He could do it. He just had to be careful with his timing again. He could!

He...was getting nervous over a shitty game? His phalanges started sweating. _What the fuck?  
_ He was so lost in thoughts that he didn't even remember when he had shifted, sitting with his legs under his boney butt, his upper half leaning forward.

And then came the hairpin bend. " **fuck!** " he muttered, leaning to his right as he turned right in-game. He could hear a chuckle and it startled him. Well, more like the fact that it was too close to his non-existant ears startled him. Closer than what his comfort zone allowed. He looked at the other and jumped back slightly. Okay, now that's what he calls 'too close'. He didn't expect that . When had he...oh. It was Red who moved closer, not Papyrus. He just now realized why Stretch had been chuckling.  
The short skeleton felt silly for getting this excited over a game and his cheekbones went a bright red color. He heard the other giggle under his breath which made his blush darken. " **shut up.** " he warned with a grunt.

"heh, i never said anything."

Finally, with Stretch distracted, Red could jump onto his plan. He frowned in concentration again and...there! He quickly put the shield on at the same time he activated the speed booster. He ran straight into his opponent's car, slowing his down while he recovered.  
" **heh.** " Red smirked at the other, finally achieving his goal. Continuing onward, he saw the finish line.

"wow." was all he heard when he finished the 4th lap.

" **oh.** "Red was honestly surprised, even if it was obvious that he was the winner the last 20 seconds of the game.

Then the only thing you could hear was the conversation he other two skeletons were having in the kitchen. Until Stretch spoke again.

"i totally got dunked on, didn't i. that's what i get for underestimating ya. good job."

" **heh. i-i actually won?** " Red let out an awkward chuckle.

"wanna go for another round? it was quite fun."

" **y-you're not upset that you lost?** "

"what? psh, dude, who do you take me for? it's just a game, why would i care? i'm actually happy that you got so much into the game, you looked like you were having fun. i did too. though i admit i was a bit distracted." Stretch teased.

" **oh. when my bro was still baby bones, we used to play board games and i always let him win since he took it way too seriously when he lost... so i thought that you'd be similar. but now that i think about it, you two are nothing like each other.** " Red said, ignoring the last part Stretch said, since he was almost sure he felt the other's lingering gaze on him while they were playing.

"i haven't dealt with that in a while since bro is really good at those games and beats me most of the time."

" **yeah, no, don't give me that bullshit. i bet you're just saying that.** " Red grinned when the other just shrugged.

They started another round. Then another and another one. They ended up with a score of 3 vs. 3 wins for each. Red was getting better, improving with each race, but he had to admit that Stretch was giving him a hard time.

* * *

" **ah, my fingers won't be able to take more of this.** " Red complained, his phalanges already sore.

"yeah, as fun as this is, i might take a little break too." Stretch said, putting the controller aside. He let out a sigh of relief when he rested his bones on the soft couch.

Suddenly, he realized that he had never apologized. He and Red acted like yesterday never happened and it just slipped his mind. The light atmosphere changed to tense as he started wondering what the right thing to say would be. But didn't he think about this the whole day already? He was going to overthink it again and mess it up. He should really just go with the situation.

"hey uh...listen, red." _Yes, that's a great start Papyrus, just perfect._ "i wanted to apologize for yesterday."

" **nah, just forget about that.** " said the short skeleton.

"what-"

" **i mean it stretch. i really overreacted, i shouldn't have snapped like that. it's just that...sometimes the truth hurts, ya know?** "

"yes, exactly. i had no right to judge you or your bro. hell i don't even know much about what you guys could have went through." the taller one looked down in shame.

" **it's okay, i guess. after all, it wouldn't be fair of me to forgive paps after everything he's done and stay mad at you.** "

"h-huh? so you are forgiving me?" Stretch looked up in hope.

" **yep, it's all in the past now-oomph!** " Red could say that he's impressed with the other's speed if he hadn't been locked in a tight hug.

"thank you, red." Papyrus mumbled, taking in the smell of the other's sweater.

" **i u-uh, yeah, sure. could you just not do that again…ever? or uh…** " Red trailed off, trying to push the other away, his face bright red.

"oh, sorry. do you not like hugs? me and my bro do it all the time so i thought…" Stretch let the other free. "gee, didn't mean to make this more awkward, heh."

" **it's okay, just…don't. at least not without asking first.** "

"sure, sorry again."

The tall skeleton didn't expect such a sharp reaction. What did he do? Did he hurt him? Was Red embarrassed? He might act like he wasn't but his blush made it obvious. He supposed it didn't matter anymore, the other didn't seem to want to talk about it.

" **so, you've got anything else?** "

"hm? you mean other games? sure do, but they are more of a thing for my brother, most of them require too much thinking and they are full of puzzles. doubt you'd enjoy any."

" **yeah, you got that right. by the way, i've been meaning to ask for some time now…what's up with you and my bro? i think i got a vague idea but it would be cool if you share.** "

"oh, it's uh…well, remember that time when i told you about my bro's first date? it was that moment we met. we don't really know each other, i just remembered his face. how could i not?"

" **so i was right, huh? do…do you think that you could give him a second chance? i'm sure he has learned a lot. he just has to try.** "

"shouldn't it be him who asks me that? and judging by the way they are acting, i think that my opinion wouldn't affect them much. they have probably kept in touch somehow. i respect sans' privacy but i can't believe he's actually…ah, whatever, that's in the past now. i guess it's my fault for messing in his life so much. don't get me wrong, i don't hate your brother. he seems to be quite nice around mine."

" **yeah, you're right. i'm glad that paps has finally been able to find himself a friend he can trust.** "

Before Stretch got the chance to say anything, Blue's yell filled the house.

"RED, PAPY, DINNER'S READY!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter. It wasn't too bad but it's kinda...yeah, I dunno.  
> Oh! Happy Holidays by the way!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being a multi-shipper sucks, 'cause man, how am I supposed not to leave any hints if I ship some Papcests and Sanscests? AAA.

Red was surprised to see a clean kitchen, neatly served food and ... food that smelled and looked edible!? Maybe Papyrus could learn something from the other Sans. Red would be very thankful for that.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, RED! PLEASE, TAKE A SEAT!"

" **oh yeah, sorry.** " Red stepped forward and took place across his brother. " **this looks really good.** " he said as he observed the taco stuffed with whatnot in front of him.

"TRY IT?" Blue prompted.

" **um, how do i eat this?** "

"YOU'VE NEVER TRIED ONE? YOU JUST PICK IT UP WITH YOUR HANDS AND TAKE A BITE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPILL THE FILLINGS THOUGH, IT CAN GET PRETTY MESSY."

" **okay, lemme try.** " Red did what he was told and his eye sockets widened. It was so good!? He could barely restrain himself from eating the whole thing at once.

"SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK..?" the other asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

" **shit blue, this is the best thing i've ever tasted!** "

"LANGUAGE! AND OH STARS, FOR A SECOND I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT! I'M SO GLAD YOU DID THOUGH! FELL HELPED ME A LOT, HE'S A FAST LEARNER!"

" **wow, really boss? color me impressed, good job, bro.** "

" **BUT OF COURSE, DID YOU REALLY EXPECT ANY LESS, BROTHER?** " Fell glared at Red, " **AND HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF, DON'T CALL ME-** " but he was interrupted by Blue.

"BOSS? WHO'S THAT?"

Silence filled the room before Stretch broke it.

"bro, it'd probably be better if you don't ask everything that comes to your mind."

"OH...SORRY!"

" **it's okay, blue. you see, i used to call my bro 'boss' back then, when we were in our universe since...things were quite different there. it's just a habit now and it slips my mind sometimes.** "

"OH, I SEE." Blue really wanted to ask more but he held back. So instead, he started another conversation after taking a few bites of his food. "PAPY HAS TOLD ME ABOUT THOSE ALTERNATE UNIVERSES, BUT THEY HONESTLY SEEM TOO CONFUSING TO ME. IS YOURS REALLY THAT DIFFERENT?"

"bro, i-"

" **DAMNIT STICK, LET HIM TALK AND SHUT UP.** " Fell said, almost letting himself grin when Stretch frowned at the stupid name he got called. " **BLUE, IT'D BE BETTER IF YOU DON'T KNOW. ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT IT'S THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF YOURS.** "

"OPPOSITE? AS IN, RED IS THE BIG BROTHER AND YOU'RE THE YOUNGER ONE?"

" **NO, I MEAN YES, THAT'S TRUE, BUT IT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT.** "

" **in our 'verse, monsters' intentions are quite...murdery...** " Red specified.

Blue gasped at that, his expression terrified. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU HAD TO...KILL?"

"yes, in order to survive. but let's change the subject."

" **i agree.** "

"so blue, i think you have something to tell me."

"Oh, um...Well, Papy, I'm sure you've already figured it out by now, but if you really want to hear me say it, yes, I kept in touch with Fell." Blue looked down, squirming in his seat. "It's just...Papy, you never listened to me after we got home that day. It was really unfair of you. I know that you only think of my well-being, brother, but...I'm not a child anymore and you know it. I'm an adult who can make decisions on his own. Fell never did anything wrong to me. I don't know what you saw, but all _I_ saw was a hard-working skeleton who was trying his best to be as nice as possible." Blue threw a warm smile towards said skeleton, who looked away, a slight hint of red on his cheekbones. "He even offered to carry my things but then you suddenly jumped in and...yeah. Sorry, I know that I don't usually break promises but..." he trailed off.

"w-wait...h-he what..!? he offered to carry your stuff? oh, everything makes sense now...i thought that he had ill intentions towards you and...oh fuck."

"LANGUAGE! AND NO, PAPY, HE WOULD NEVER HURT ME! IN FACT, HE'S SO NICE I'M SURE HE WOULDN'T KILL A FLY!"  
At this, Red chuckled, recieving a glare from his brother and nothing more. But the older one knew that look and grinned - he couldn't believe that his bro was embarrassed!

Stretch just frowned in confusion. "okay." he sighed. "seems like i misunderstood everything. i guess that it should be me apologizing, blue. sorry for not listening. i know it was a very selfish move, i have no idea what came over me, you know that i'm not usually like this."

"IT'S OKAY PAPY, I ALREADY FORGAVE YOU. YOU WERE JUST LOOKING AFTER ME."

"yes, thanks bro, you're the best. as for you, edgy-tsundere-lord-"

" **DON'T. CALL. ME. THAT.** "

"yes, yes, sorry for assuming that you're a bad guy. i guess i was too fast to judge you."

" **HMPH, WHATEVER.** "

"OH BY THE WAY, ARE YOU AND RED FRIENDS AGAIN, PAPY?"

"yeah bro, we returned back to our old friendship by kicking each other's asses on the racing game Undyne brought you.

"OH, I'M SO GLAD! STARS, RED, DON'T DO THAT, IT'S SO GROSS!" Blue complained after he saw Red taking a bottle out of his pocket and drowning the taco in mustard.

" **heh, sorry for ruining your cooking, blue. i couldn't resist it.** "

"yeah, bro, i'm sure you're already used to it by now." Stretch added, pointing at his own taco which was already covered by a thick layer of honey.

Blue just sighed.

* * *

Dinner went smoothly, Blue and Fell talked about puzzles and Red and Stretch ruined everything with their 'humor'.

"OH, I HAVE A GREAT IDEA! WHY DON'T WE PLAY A TEAM MATCH ON THE GAMING CONSOLE?" Blue offered.

" **OH, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA INDEED! WHAT'S THAT..?** " Fell asked bluntly.

" **you'll see bro, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it though.** "

" **WELL, IF YOU SAY SO.** "

"THEN IT'S DECIDED! LET'S DO THIS!"

"yeah bro, let's show 'em who's the real boss here."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT PAPY? OBVIOUSLY YOU'LL BE TEAMED UP WITH RED!"

"wha...bro..." Stretch fake-wiped a non-existant tear.

"WELL I MEAN, YOU TWO WOULD MAKE A GOOD TEAM, JUST LIKE I AND FELL WOULD!" Explained Blue.

"aw, okay then." The taller one pouted.

They all moved to the living room but there was a tiny problem. The couch was made for only 3 people. It usually wasn't a problem since when Undyne and Alphys stayed over, Alphys insisted that her partner should sit in her lap. It was different this time. Red spoke first, quickly figuring out a solution.

" **i don't mind sitting on the floor, you know?** "

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT RED, DON'T BE SILLY! EVEN IF I CLEAN EVERY DAY, THAT'S NOT RIGHT!"

" **seriously blue, i don't mind. i actually prefer the floor.** "

Blue frowned before sighing and nodded. "OKAY THEN, IF YOU REALLY ARE SURE."

Everyone sat comfortably on the couch, starting from left Stretch, Blue and then Fell on the other side. Red went closer to Stretch. " **hey, mind if i sit in front of ya?** "

"hm? oh, yeah, go ahead." the taller one shrugged.

" **cool, thanks.** " Red thanked and settled between Stretch's long legs.

"so, how are we gonna do this?"

"HMM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD START WITH SOMETHING EASY SINCE FELL HAS NEVER PLAYED BEFORE."

" **HMPH, I'M SURE THAT I'M GOING TO DO WELL ENOUGH ON MY OWN!** "

" **heh, bro, not that i'm judging but i don't think that you're supposed to hold the controller like that.** " Red chuckled, Stretch joining him.

" **OH.** " Fell flipped the controler. _That makes more sense_ , he thought.

"blue, could you quickly explain the basics to fell while i get everything ready?"

"SURE THING, PAPY!"

Stretch started setting the game for a team race while Blue went on with explaining the main things the other Papyrus needed to know.

Red lightly bumped Stretch's humerus with his elbow to get his attention. " **so, are we gonna give 'em the first round?** ", he whispered.

"you're reading my mind, buddy." the other winked. "hey bro, everything's set. we're ready when you are."

Blue nodded to Fell one last time. "READY TO GO!"

* * *

" **I DON'T UNDERSTAND. HOW COULD A WHIMPY LOSER AND MY BROTHER BEAT US AND OUR GREAT TEAMWORK!? YOU TWO AREN'T CHEATING ARE YOU?** "

"nope, we're playing fair and square. you can't win _every_ time, you know?"

"WOW RED, YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT THIS!" Blue praised, making Red scratch his scar bashfully.

"yeah he's learnt from the best after all."

" **pfft, yeah right. as if i didn't kick your ass a few times.** "

"hey, so did i."

" **WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY? I WANT TO TRY AGAIN!** "

" **sorry paps. and uh, yeah, sure.** "

* * *

Red could feel himself dozing off when suddenly, his brother's loud voice pierced his non-existant ears and startled him. The short skeleton had already grown bored of winning and losing(on purpose), so he just left one part of his mind to play the game automatically and another part try to get some sleep and rest. Deep inside though, he already knew that he's too good at falling asleep, so he probably won't fail at it.

" **UGH, I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! THIS GAME JUST SUCKS.** "

"YOU'LL GET BETTER IN NO TIME FELL, YOU SHOULDN'T GIVE UP, YOU JUST HAVE TO PRACTICE MORE!"

"yeah, edge-lord, what's the fun in giving up?"

" **DON'T CALL ME THAT! OH WELL, THEY SAY THAT TODAY'S LOSER IS TOMORROW'S WINNER!** "

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"

"shh, hey guys." Stretch whispered as he pointed at the sleeping skeleton who was leaning on his leg, one hand around the bone, hugging it. Stretch could almost say that it was an adorable sight...um...he never said anything like that though.

"Oh! He must be tired!" Blue whispered back.

" **Well, it's getting quite late. I completely lost track of time.** " Fell spoke and carefully picked up the sleeping mess from the floor. " **Thanks for inviting us, Blue. It was a pleasure. And, uh, thanks to you too, Papyrus, for letting us in, even after our little fight.** "

"no big deal." Stretch shrugged.

" **I'm afraid we have to leave now. My brother has to go to work early tomorrow and I can't let him oversleep again.** "

"That's okay!" Blue jumped off his seat and followed Fell to see him off, Stretch going right after him.

After a quick ''goodbye" and "good night", the tall skeleton closed the door and let a sigh out. Now that he thought about it, he wouldn't mind a nap either. He tried to ignore the way Blue looked at him, that big grin probably implying something. But Stretch was too exhausted to think about it much.

"GOOD NIGHT, PAPY! OH AND THANKS FOR LETTING FELL WIN THOSE FEW TIMES, IT WAS REALLY CONSIDERATE OF YOU GUYS!"

"no pro-wait, you knew?"

"Oh Papy..." Sans smiled.

"i know, i know. heh, sorry blue, seems like I'll have to get used to the fact that you're not a kid anymore. you'll always be my baby bro though." he leaned down to give his brother a quick hug. "'night, bro." he said and headed to his room. He climbed the stairs but on his way, he almost tripped on something. After regaining balance, he looked down to see what got in his way. His eye sockets widened.

"uh, bro? it might be the best you come here!" Papyrus called his brother. "hmm, seems like someone's had a _ruff_ day too." he murmured to himself while staring down at the two balls of fur curled around each other, sleeping peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor pups.  
> Also, wow, I updated in 23 days, not 2 months!!  
> kill me

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update this as soon as I can. Any requests and suggestions would be appreciated since I have no idea what I'm doing, I only have 4 chapters figured out right now. This is a thing that I write mainly to take my mind off things, no actual plot tbh.


End file.
